Friday, October 16, 2009

I know many of you recall (or still read) the old "Ripley's Believe it or Not!" comic panel ... and you might be interested to know that the Big Sky Country once had something similar. Back in 1940 a Miles City artist named Jim Masterson created a regular newspaper feature called "It Happened in Montana." In line art and text, each comic retold a well-known Montana anecdote, or remembered a moment in the state's history. "It Happened in Montana" was carried in 51 newspapers across the state, and the panels were later published as a series of pamphlets. The original drawings are preserved at the Range Riders Museum in Miles City.

Here's an example of one of Masterson's comics, this one telling the famous story of Hugh Glass, the mountain man:

About Me

I'm a professional historian, though my real passions lie in the art of photography and the freedom of travel. Armed with camera and backpack, I've visited all fifty of the US states ... and a total of 65 countries on six continents.

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Copyright notice:

Unless otherwise attributed, all text and contemporary photographs in this blog are copyrighted by the author, Mark Hufstetler. Reproduction or reuse -- either online or in print -- without written permission from the author is expressly prohibited. You're welcome to contact me for information on obtaining reprints.